1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to securing objects in mounts for support and ease of handling. The present invention relates more specifically to securing objects having a predetermined thickness in such mounts without using adhesives or sonic bonding. Objects mounted in accordance with the present invention are particularly useful in devices that determine the concentration of components of body fluids.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years a number of automated systems have been developed to carry out quantitative chemical analysis of biological fluid samples. At least one known fluid analyzing apparatus uses discrete test elements upon which chemical analysis tests are conducted. The test elements contain dry reagents in a binder material. The test elements are transported through various process stations in the apparatus where they receive a drop of the biological fluid, are heat treated, and are evaluated, all automatically. Apparatus of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,390. The test elements may be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,158.
A plastic mount is commonly provided to support and carry one such test element. The mounts are preferably formed of sheets of thermoplastic material which are bonded together to form an integral mount having a test element secured therein without the use of adhesives that might contaminate the test element. Examples of such mounts and methods using sonic bonding for forming the mounts and securing the test elements are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,169,751 and 4,230,757. Each of the procedures disclosed therein places the test element to be mounted inside an aperture in one of two or more stacked sheets. The stacked sheets and the test element are then sonically bonded by compressive force and high-frequency vibratory energy. However, some test elements contain reagents having a binder material which is fragile to vibration, and the vibratory energy to which the test element is subjected during sonic bonding causes the surface of these at least partially fragile test elements to break up into a fine powder.